When I first became a ham, I somehow acquired a J-38 hand key. This was a top of the line WWII surplus telegraph key that was extremely well built. Some of us got rid of the bakelite base and mounted the key on a nice piece of wood or brass (beware RF burns on conductive bases). I still have mine, decades after I quit being an active amateur.
After I graduated from being a novice, I still had a love for CW (Morse code). Not having the bucks for an electronic keyer in 1970, I acquired a used bug, the Vibroplex Original model, as shown at the right. These had a spring loaded weight that made dots automatically but it was up to the operator to make the dashes and spaces correctly. It took a lot of practice, almost as much as playing a musical instrument. I actually went to the local telegraph office and got tips on how to use a bug from the operator there. They used teletype by 1970 but the guy had been there for so long that he remembered how to use a bug and the trick of soldering a ball bearing to a screw to add more weight for use below 20 WPM.
Finally, after college, I could afford nice toys. Electronic keyers made dot and dash strings very well, and were easy to use to make perfect code. The Bencher paddle, shown on the left was the best of the best for use with the electronic keyer. I still have one of these in my closet. Both the Vibroplex bugs and Bencher paddle could be ordered gold plated if you had the money. I miss them all.
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